Everything is not what it seems. Here's how to protect yourself from environmental toxins in your household

Twenty five years ago, when hundreds of families fled their homes in Love Canal, an upstate New York suburb built on 21,000 tons of toxic chemicals, the scandal became a turning point for the environmental movement.

Thanks to new public awareness, government regulations, and a quarter century of research, we now know far more about environmental toxins and their links to health problems, including cancer, immune disorders, birth defects, and other maladies affecting children, who are the most vulnerable.

There's been some good news. With lead banned from gasoline, paint, and other products, American kids have blood lead levels about 90% lower—and as a result, IQs at least 3 points higher—than a quarter century ago. Pesticides such as DDT are no longer in use. Legislation has closed numerous incinerators, limited toxic dumping, and helped fund the cleanup of sites such as Love Canal.

Yet many of us may be walking around with a laundry list of other chemicals, from toxic mercury to pesticides to potentially cancer-causing by-products of plastic, in our blood, hair, and urine. These chemicals are ubiquitous, present in every room of your house and in your yard. And the health risks they pose are largely unknown.

Some experts, including Sandra Steingraber, PhD, a cancer survivor, professor at Cornell University's Center for the Environment, and an expert on the links between toxins, cancer, and birth defects, worry that the rising cancer rates in children may be due at least in part to environmental pollutants.

Here's a guided tour of potential toxic threats in your home, plus advice from leading experts on what to do about them.

In Your Closet: Perchloroethylene

Studies suggest that perchloroethylene, a solvent commonly used in dry cleaning, may boost cancer risk. The EPA is encouraging dry cleaners to voluntarily phase out "perc." Meanwhile, here's what you can do.

Look for a wet cleaner. These alternative cleaners use water to clean "dry-clean only" clothes. Greenpeace has a listing online of wet cleaners across the US.

Unbag it. If you must dry-clean and your cleaner uses perc, take the plastic bags off your clothes, and let them air out on the clothesline or in the garage until the sweet smell is gone, suggests Jeremiah Baumann, toxics and environmental health advocate for the Washington, DC-based US Public Interest Research Groups. [pagebreak]

In Your Fruit Bowl: Pesticides

Certain pesticide residues have been linked to increased risk of cancer, hormonal problems, and allergic reactions. Fortunately, many of the most toxic pesticides once used on foods have been banned and replaced with safer alternatives, according to Richard J. Jackson, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health, which is tracking levels of 100 potential toxins in the population. Here's how to minimize your exposure.

Wash well. Scrubbing and rinsing produce thoroughly under running water will significantly lower pesticide residues, says Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Washington, DC-based Center for Science in the Public Interest and coauthor of Is Our Food Safe?. So will peeling produce with tough skins, such as carrots.

On Your Walls: Lead

If your home was built before 1978, the odds are there's lead paint on and in it. Poorly maintained, cracking, and flaking lead paint is the number one culprit in lead poisoning, and it's still in millions of homes. Though pregnant women and kids 6 and younger are at greatest risk, lead poisoning contributes to health problems in other adults, including high blood pressure and memory problems.Lead paint that isn't cracking or chipping isn't usually a hazard. According to the EPA, lead paint that is in good condition can be left alone unless it's on a friction surface (a window or door frame) or it's within reach of children, such as a windowsill. But if your home predates 1978, and the paint is in disrepair or in an unsafe location, here's what to do.[pagebreak]Test it. Hire a trained technician to test the paint and determine if it contains lead, says Dr. Landrigan. Call your state health department to find out if your state certifies these technicians and for a listing of those nearby. If your state doesn't certify, look for a contractor who's passed a course meeting EPA guidelines; you'll find a list online. Though the results may not be as reliable, you can test more cheaply yourself using home kits from testing labs, says Dr. Lanphear. Call your state health department for a listing of certified labs.

If you rent and have a small child, your landlord may be required to test for (and clean up) lead paint in your building. To find out, call your local health department. Go one step further by asking your school district whether it's tested buildings for lead and if it follows EPA cleanup guidelines.

Fix it carefully. If that cracking or flaking paint is lead based, your safest bet is to have a certified professional clean it up following EPA guidelines. (Painting over it is only a short-term fix, since the new topcoat will eventually crack too.) Removing the paint the right way is critical; certain methods (dry scraping, sanding, and sandblasting) worsen the problem by producing lots of lead dust and paint chips.

If you must do the job yourself, follow the guidelines in the EPA brochure "Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home." Get it by calling (800) 532-3394 or by going online.

In Your Refrigerator: Mercury, Dioxins and PCB's

Fish is a high-quality source of protein and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But some species are also relatively high in mercury, a toxic metal linked to birth defects and developmental problems in children whose moms were exposed to high quantities during pregnancy.

Along with meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy products, fish is also a leading source of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), related toxic, manmade chemical contaminants.

"Americans get 95% of their exposure to dioxins and related chemicals from these foods," says Karen Perry, deputy director for the Physicians for Social Responsibility, Environment, and Health Program in Washington, DC. Like dioxins, PCBs have been linked to cancer. Both appear to disrupt hormone function and have been implicated in developmental delays in kids heavily exposed before birth.Over the past 2 decades, pollution controls have greatly reduced our exposure to dioxins and PCBs. But they're still with us (actually in us), as is mercury. According to the CDC, 1 in 10 women of childbearing age has worrisome levels of mercury in her hair and blood.

Here's how to protect yourself and your family:

Et tu, Tuna? It might be America's most popular fish, but tuna may be a no-no for women who are or who may become pregnant, as well as for nursing moms and young children. An FDA advisory committee recently recommended that tuna join high-in-mercury shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish on the list of fish to avoid.[pagebreak]Avoid animal fat. Dioxins and PCBs accumulate in animal fat, so choose leaner cuts of meat, such as sirloin, round steak, and pork tenderloin, and chicken breasts or drumsticks. Trim fat and skin from meat, poultry, and fish. Buy low-fat or fat-free dairy products, suggests De Waal.

Through Your Faucet: Lead, Chlorination By-Products and Arsenic

While nearly all municipal water mains are now concrete, the pipes in some older homes are made from lead. And the pipes in homes built prior to 1986, when lead solder in plumbing was banned, may be joined with the stuff. So lead in water is still a problem, says lead poisoning expert Bruce Lanphear, MD, professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital's Environmental Health Center.

If your water is heavily chlorinated, it may also be contaminated with by-products of chlorination called trihalomethanes (THMs), including chloroform. Some studies suggest a link between THMs and cancer and, possibly, to other health problems. Arsenic is another water contaminant linked to cancer. Here's how to stay safe.

Find out what you're drinking. Your local water company should mail you an annual report on contaminants, including THMs and arsenic, in the water traveling through their mains. If you have an older home that may have lead pipes or solder, get the tap water tested. In some cities, the Department of Environmental Protection tests tap water for lead free of charge, or they'll provide a free testing kit. If that's not an option, or if your water comes from a well, get it tested by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-certified laboratory. The EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) can give you the names of certified labs.

Run the tap in the morning. If tests find lead in your water, run it for 2 to 3 minutes first thing in the morning to flush the water with the highest lead content, says Philip Landrigan, MD, professor of pediatrics and director of the Center for Children's Health and Environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and coauthor of Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World.

Keep it cold. Use cold tap water for cooking, drinking, and preparing baby formula. Hot water leaches more lead from pipes.

Let it sit. Any chlorination by-products will dissipate from the water if you leave it in an open container for a few hours.

Consider a water filter. Check the label before buying to make sure the one you choose removes lead and other contaminants of concern, says Perry.

Shorten showers. Pregnant women and kids should keep showers short if their water contains high levels of THMs, since the shower spray can be a more significant source of chlorination by-products than drinking water is.[pagebreak]

Through Your Windows: Air Pollution

Though smokestacks belching black plumes are largely a thing of the past, air pollution remains a problem, particularly near heavy industry or roads that see a lot of diesel truck and bus traffic, explains Dr. Landrigan. Emissions from these diesel haulers have been linked to breathing disorders, heart disease, cancer, and, possibly, an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Here are some tips to help you breathe easier.

Check the TRI. Find out whether you live near industries that are releasing potential toxins into the air (or water or soil) by calling the EPA's information hotline for the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) at (800) 424-9346. Get more detailed information on the toxins reported on the TRI by searching the National Library of Medicine's TOXNET or contacting the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry toll-free at (888) 42-ATSDR (422-8737).

Filter it. Close your windows, and turn on your air conditioner (remember to clean or change the filters often) when it's hot outside, Dr. Landrigan suggests. In cooler months, consider a high-efficiency particulate-arresting (HEPA) air filter.

On Your Deck and Play Set: Arsenic

To deter pests, most pressure-treated lumber (and the decks, playground equipment, and picnic tables made from it) contains arsenic that's injected into the wood. This can leach out into soil and groundwater and get on your and your kids' hands. Here's how to limit exposure:

Buy alternatives. Choose woods that are naturally pest resistant, such as cedar and black locust. Consider steel supports for your deck and nonwood play equipment.

Your next step: Check with your parks department and school district to find out whether community play equipment has been tested, suggests Dr. Steingraber, who, with a group of other concerned parents, tested a local preschool jungle gym and found that it was leaching high levels of arsenic.

Seal it. Painting wood with latex paint or polyurethane about every 6 months will help seal in the arsenic. Sunken support posts, however, can continue to leach arsenic into the soil and groundwater, so you may want to consider replacing these with alternatives, Dr. Steingraber says.[pagebreak]

Hold Off on the Bug Spray

Food isn't our only source of pesticide exposure. We also pollute ourselves with the pesticides we spray around our homes and on our lawns and gardens, says Richard J. Jackson, MD, MPH.

Try these methods of keeping pests at bay first: Put food away after mealtimes, and seal up holes and cracks around floorboards and pipes where pests may enter.

For more pointers on beating pests without pesticides, visit the nonprofit Beyond Pesticides online. Take the next step by calling your school district and parks department and encouraging them to use pesticides more sparingly.